5th Generation 4Runner Suspension Options Thread

Haha that's my plan as well.. we shall see! At least one of us got it right, I bet! Oh well, I'm practically planning on swapping from the Bilstein 1" to 1.5" already.. it will really depend on where that front sits, and from what I read, it's a bit of a gamble.

 

If I was going with 2" lift in front I (think) would go 1.5" in the rear but that is just me.

In my garage which is flat, not perfectly level and I measure the rocker in front and rear I have 1" of rake. This is from the side view that makes the truck look raked one way, the other or level. Lots of people measure at the wheel wells, but it's pretty obvious that the front/rear wells are at different elevations in relation to the frame.

Just read one of your earlier posts about waiting for ordered items (I to am already thinking maybe I should change this or that ). Look forward to some pics if our orders ever come in and see if the orders look like what we ordered originally.

 

Received an email regarding my order today, they said mid to late March for the 6112 shocks to come in. Great, now I am worried the #600 springs wont be enough of a upgrade, oh boy this is going to be a long wait.

 

I believe the stock springs are 550# give or take a few.. 10% increase is pretty solid. Are you adding much weight up front? I'm not planning on adding any for a long time.. maybe a winch and aluminum full bumper at some point when the stock one is worn out and I have 4k burning a hole in my pocket.

 

Still going back and forth on the springs #600 -#650 (sent an email to Bilstein today).......good read here: No not planning on adding any weight up front, but I know how plans change

 

I've been on more than a few off-road adventures with my stock suspension 2020. I've even gotten two wheels off the ground simultaneously (LF and RR) on my FIRST trip out lol (was a bit scary to say the least.. for one whole second), and never has it felt too soft to me. In fact, I desire to keep the soft feeling of the truck as much as possible, so at first I was worried about even going to a 600 lb. spring. That said, I'm definitely new to this. But I just go.. slow. So bottoming out isn't an issue. I guess it depends on what you wanna do with them.. This is also my DD and I want to soak up as much of those pot holes as possible! YMMV of course. If one wasn't averse to a harsh ride on the street, I doubt they'd mind the 650# springs one bit.

 

I spoke to Wheelers and now they are saying mid to end April for my shocks...

 

I just called them as well. They have now changed my "estimate" to late April. I then tried to call Bilstein and they are not answering the phone any longer... ring ring ring busy signal. Wow.. seriously? Bilstein??

I am considering cancelling my order. Very disappointed with Bilstein. There is no reason that a company of that size and reach should take three months to manufacturer one of their standard products.

At least Wheelers isn't making excuses, and somewhat apologizes... I think the real issue is that customers allowing this behavior has made it the norm. I will probably cancel my order to send a message to Bilstein.. if you cannot keep up with demand then you will lose sales.

I'm not sure what I'll do now. Maybe I'll just call Toytec and see what they have available.. at least they answered the phone and the guy didn't sound ignorant.

It's funny because it seemed like there were so many options for suspension. But once you realize the differences between them and decide exactly what you want, there really aren't many options at all! I'm struggling to find a replacement for myself for the 6112's.

 

Update:

Fed up with Bilstein and them mysteriously changing their ETA from mid-Feb to end-April, I've cancelled my order for Bilstein products and went a different direction. I was also anxious, the entire purchase-decision and wait time, about the rear shock situation with the Bilsteins. Bilstein never would give me solid info regarding the 5100 vs. 5160.. they'd just say 5160 is better but 5100 is fine, to go along with the 6112. OK, lol. So that didn't help me decide which to go with.. so I went with 5160's *assuming* they'd perform better, based upon theory, while also knowing that their design inherently leads to more failure (and if you search you'll see experiences to go with that failure rate). Hopefully most are fine with their 5160's, but I wasn't super comfortable about it. And I didn't want to go with the cheaper and simpler 5100, because there must be a valid reason that Bilstein recommends the 5160, right? Basically, I felt that the 6112's were too good for the 5100's in the rear, so those were out... but the 5160's also had issues. I took a leap of faith, eyes wide open, when deciding to purchase the 5160's.

Anyway, I'm tired of analysis paralysis, so after just a little more searching and refreshing, I pulled the trigger on a full set of Eibach Pro-Truck Sport shocks, OME 2883 (hopefully) 2" lift springs for the front, and stayed with the same Bilstein 1" lift springs for the rear since those seem like the only true 1" lift spring for the rear. I would have happily gone with the Eibach 1" rear lift spring, but let's be honest, that is a 1.5" rear lift spring. I also picked up one 1/4" top plate spacer and one 3/8" top plate spacer, just in case I want a tad more lift, or the truck leans excessively after the lift. My goal is to use neither spacer, but we shall see. In a perfect world, this will give me a 2" lift in the front and a 1" lift in the rear, without excessive lean, allowing my stock reliable UCA's to remain with no caster alignment difficulties. I will of course post photos, etc. once it's all installed... but it could be a few weeks realistically, lol.

Wheeler's has been great to deal with and I would absolutely recommend them thus far. I even decided to pay them to assemble my fronts because, why not.. I'm lazy, and that allowed me to support them further. Plus, the KYB upper mounts they use apparently have longer studs than the stock units, which allows for the small top plate spacers if needed. And, I'll have fully assembled fronts ready to go just in case I ever need them due to maintenance or failure. Win-win-win!

Cheers

 

This is why I am inclined to go with a Pro! I would be agonizing over which systems and parts. Who to entrust to do the installs. Knowing that you are probably diminishing the value, increasing the maintenance, and decreasing the MPG's. It just pains me to pay probably $12,000 more for $6,000 in upgrades.

 

@koukimonster Really looking forward to your install, and appreciate you putting out your personal research into this. This is the level of lift I could see aspiring to when finances cooperate, and Im prone to the same level of analysis paralysis. What I really look forward to is your review, since you seem to have the “eye” to describe dynamics of the vehicle. Hope the wait goes quick for you!

 

I went with an SR5 premium. Saved roughly $6-$10 thousand and put $14k in upgrades. Front and rear regear to 4.88, ARB front and rear lockers, steel front Bumper, winch, rock sliders, full front skid plates that cover engine, transmission, and transfer case, Ironman awning, Gobi roof rack, Ironman stage 3 foam cell pro suspension, RRW racing wheels, and planning on 285/75 17 or 305/70 17.

What do you get from Toyota for that extra $$$

Anyways if someone plans on going as crazy as me I would say ditch the pro and go SR5. Just my thought. Also surprised to not hear more about Ironman in here.

 

Even if I went with the ORP, I would probably just modify with a modest lift, new wheels, and better tires (slightly bigger - I like the skinnies / pizza cutter look and functionality).

 

That is what I like so much about 4Runners is the aftermarket offerings on it and the ability to do what each person wants to their vehicle. No matter what direction each person goes with modifying their 4Runner it looks really nice (heck even stock). I am still stock on my 4Runner and I love it. Most of those items I listed are not scheduled to ship until the end of March and I am excited about seeing the transformation. I haven’t seen a 4Runner that didn’t look nice (except the ones that got in an accident).

 

Alright who here has extended travel suspension from Dobisons? I think that’ll be my next setup. Will be getting it setup to get my 3” lift all around.

 

I was looking at doing long travel on mine (Total Chaos or All Pro). However, after reading this article I decided to hold off as I felt it was unnecessary for what I would use my 4Runner for: Plus many other posts that back up what this person talked about. I don’t want to go through the hassle of regular maintenance and honestly it wasn’t worth it to me. So if that truly is an idea of yours and something you need make sure you’re committed to the extra expense, time, and labor. Otherwise I would save your money, get a 2.5 inch lift and get good skid plates for the .5 inch ground clearance you lose.
Yes you will lose more when putting on skid plates. I lost a whole inch on mine from the depth of the skid plates alone. But now I don’t have to worry about breaking anything.

 

Agreed! I live in MD, but was in Jackson Hole skiing two weeks ago and there were stock SR5 4Runners everywhere. They appear to be the #1 rental vehicle in town. They look fine and gave me a greater appreciation of the stock look! A stock 4R is probably more than adequate for over 90% of us!

 

I just did a Dobinson MRA upgrade. I had KDSS so I could not go long travel. It took two weekends to finish but I was happy to do it myself and save the cash. CrikeyMikey on the board really knows his stuff and had the parts to me in a few weeks.

 

Which shocks are you considering? One guy here, @HondaKen , fitted the LT monotubes to the front of his otherwise stock 4Runner with good results. I was happy to see that there was still no UCA to spring contact, at least with the stock springs. I think there is more that goes into the rear, though. Bump-stops come to mind.

I'm happy to see someone talking about LT and wonder why more guys don't. Seems to me like that is what is really needed for more off-road performance as opposed to just lifting.

 

I agree. I think the Pro is good value, until it's marked up. Thank all the bro's for that, I suppose, lol.

 

Well, you get the color, and a better stereo, and some other small stuff. The color is worth a lot to some, especially if going crazy with mods. One could argue.. why not start with the better model if you plan to spend so much anyway? Can't go wrong either way, IMO.. so you do you.

Yeah, I wish I saw more about Ironman. Their lifts intrigue me. The price-point seems fair. Typically, Australians know their way around the 4x4 world. I was personally not very interested for two reasons - too much lift for my tastes, especially in the rear.. and not very much info out there. I also reached out to them via email and never heard back. Are they fairly new to the market? I prefer to let others be the guinea pig since I'm still on a very limited budget.

 

LT isn't about the ground clearance, it's about articulation and traction / stability through the obstacles. Sure, an extreme LT setup could be bonkers and a PITA, but I am pretty sure one can go to LT shocks, which provide another inch or two of articulation, without extreme components that need a whole lot of maintenance. All that said, take this with a grain of salt because I have very little experience or research put into LT setups. Just going by what I've personally seen thus far.. which isn't a whole lot.

 

Yeah I considered long travel for a while, but I think extended travel suspension will fit my needs. Extended travel shocks give about 1” more of travel than other shocks, I haven’t researched them a ton yet on who offers them but I’ve seen mentions of dobisons across different forums and it peaked my interest.

I’ve been eyeing this setup, it isn’t super popular but from what I’ve read it has some solid feedback and the fact they’re adjustable without an increase in cost is also nice.

I haven’t looked into them too much, just seen mentions and I did see that someone had the long travel shock installed with OEM front springs. I’d be putting on some aftermarket ones to get some more travel ojt of the front, and going with a longer spring in the rear as well. This is for extended travel too, not long travel. Extended travel only gives about an inch more of travel over standard shocks, and long travel is a whole new can of worms. I haven’t really seen a need yo go long travel yet, and having to spend over $2,000 for just lower control arms doesn’t seem very appealing yet lol.

 

Apologies.. it seems like people and even manufacturers incorrectly interchange LT and ET so I may have used the terms incorrectly. Yes, I believe the Dobinsons, for example, are technically ET.. but they call them LT IIRC. Sure, a true LT setup which I think needs additional shocks (two shocks per corner, at least in the front) is an entirely different animal all-together.

I figured we were talking about slightly longer travel, or technically ET I guess, here.

 

Yeah those colors are sweet on the TRD pro. That inferno red is sweet.

I have never had a problem with communication with Ironman. They have taken good care of me and honestly I haven’t seen anyone beat theirs deals. I was going to go king but they have huge delays because of covid. I believe it is the same for fox as well.

I called around and looked for the king and fox suspension but they told me August/November time for backlog at the earliest. That immediately turned me away. I am glad I went with Ironman because it was 1/2 the price and I get a winch with that as well. I was going to spend $4k for suspension but I am happy now that I didn’t. I have seen rave reviews on it. I will share my experience (if I remember).

 

Suspension should be here this week! Wheeler's took a little longer than I would have liked to ship it all out, but I did have them assemble the fronts and I realize that takes a little time. They said they were back-logged a bit so it's all good. It took them about a week to get it all together, assemble the fronts, and ship it all out. UPS says Thursday! Can't wait. I will try to get it all installed this weekend, but no promises heh. The anticipation regarding ride comfort and stance is killing me lol!

 

It's here!! Haha it arrived early, yesterday actually. It felt like Christmas morning. So many boxes to open!

I have a few noob questions; hoping a few of you may shed some light. I spoke with Wheeler's already, and while I trust them, some backup never hurts..

1. I purchased the front shocks/springs assembled. When they arrived, there is a tag on one of the assemblies that specifies the side it must be mounted to. What's this about? It's been a while since I've installed suspension.. is it because, as the spring and shock are mated, the assembly needs to be turned a certain way?

2. I received a few extra bushings and washers in the box for the front assemblies. Is this because the "extra" top-hat assemblies I purchased (so that they could assemble the fronts) contained these parts as well, making the Eibach bushings redundant?

3. The rear shock boots did not come attached. Did you guys attach the boots before installing on the truck? The instructions claim that, on some vehicles, the boots must be affixed *during* installation. Also, the small opening on the boot is very tight when trying to push it past the shocks lower eye mount.. I imagine this is normal, but it really felt like it was going to tear the boot to push it on there. Odd, but I suppose I'll trust it!

Thanks!

 

They may account for the Toyota Lean and one side is different than the other.

I suspect you’re right about the extra parts. Mine was the same.

My rear shocks didn’t come with boots, so unsure about that. Have photos to share? Perhaps others have the same products you do.

 

That's what I excitedly hoped for when I inspected the parts! But I hadn't read anything yet about OME springs being side sensitive. When I first started Googling, I got all excited because it looks like some OME springs in fact are side designated.. but alas, that is not the case with their front 4Runner springs... so I guess it must have to do with the install. It's time for me to start watching some install vids, so maybe that situation will become clear to me soon. I do remember having to turn strut assemblies during install in the past - I'd have to place a tool in the eye and rotate against the force of the rubber, etc. until it all lined up. I guess that's what Wheeler's has already done for me. And I guess the two sides are not mirrored in a way so that they are interchangeable.

I didn't take any photos personally, I'm bad about that. This was the best I could find on the net - it's for a Tacoma, so ignore the non-4Runner parts.. but the shocks are basically the same. For the rear boots, it looks like they probably come that way - I'll just shove 'em on there and hope for the best ha.. I'm sure it'll be fine. On the fronts, you can see what Eibach provides. Then, in the following photo, you can see what KYB provides. I'm confused because KYB provides one bushing while it looks like Eibach provides two. So I'm still not sure about this until I look at the FSM install instructions.. hopefully that will clear it up!

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/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Eibach_Pro_Truck_Stage_1_Lift_Kit_Install_Review_3rd_Gen_Tacoma_02.jpg

*sigh*

Replace the ********'s with the following, with no spaces.. t r a i l t a c o m a . c o m


Thanks for entertaining my silly questions lol.

 

I still haven't completely figured this out.. hoping for some clarity. I guess I may need to start a new thread for this because people are probably tired of clicking on the link for this thread and just seeing a bunch of rambling...

Here is the Eibach replacement shock diagram which shows and lists the parts:



Now, I'm not sure what the "bump stop cap" or "rod wiper" are, but I'm guessing those are somewhere attached to, or inside of, the shock body.

I think what I'm interested in are the "lower stem washer," "lower stem bushing," "upper stem bushing," and "cupped washer." I believe those are the two washers at the end of the shaft, as well as what appears to be two bushings there (in the photos it almost looks like one bushing with a gap cut in the middle, but I do not think that's the case).

Here is the Toyota Parts diagram for the OE. It shows a washer on top of one bushing, above the top hat, and a washer below, but no bushing is shown below.



So what I think is happening, based off my research, is that the OE Toyota upper hat, as well as the KYB upper hat, have that lower bushing *attached* on the under side. Apparently it's held on with a little glue, at least on the KYB top hats.

So I guess I should have four total extra pieces in this case (per side / assembly): two bushings and two washers.

My only question at this point is.. does it matter which lower bushing and washer I use? I wonder if the OE shock and Eibach shock differ in the shaft in that area. If that was the case, I'd imagine KYB bushings for OE shocks, Eibach supplied bushings for Eibach shocks. I'm not sure which they used at Wheeler's.. maybe I can find out by closely inspecting the extra bushings I received in the package. I hope they used the Eibach bushings as that would seem more appropriate.

Kind of figuring this out as I type this post... ramble ramble..

Cheers lol